A decade after the Karsaz tragedy

THATTA – Millions of people would show up at Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) public gathering in Hyderabad to pay their tributes to those killed in Oct 18 twin suicide attacks at Karsaz, Karachi.

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These views were expressed by senior PPP leader and Senator Sassi Palijo, while addressing public gatherings at Jang Shahi and Kohistan Thatta on Tuesday. Sassui said that PPP’s gathering would make it clear to the political opponents that Sindh was a bastion of Jiyalas and lovers of Benazir Bhutto (BB), adding that the entire province stood by PPP with sincerity. PPP senator added that rich tributes would be paid to all those who had sacrificed their lives for their beloved leader, Benazir Bhutto, when she returned home on Oct 18.

At least 150 people were killed and 450 others were wounded in twin explosions at Karsaz area of Karachi during a rally of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on 18th October 2007.

The rally was organized upon the return of former PPP chief Benazir Bhutto after her return to Pakistan after her eight years in exile.

The former prime minister had accused ex-president and army chief Pervez Musharraf of not providing her security upon her return. She had stated that Musharraf would be responsible if anything happened to her.

Musharraf’s government, on the other hand, claimed that there were threats to her life and advised her to avoid public exposure.

The road of Karachi, from Jinnah Airport till the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam, was filled with supporters and well-wishers of the former prime minister.

A special truck was made for Benazir Bhutto.

As the convoy reached Karsaz, two successive blasts took place in which 150 people lost their lives and over 400 people were injured.

Benazir Bhutto’s truck was also damaged in the blasts but she remained unscathed. Undettered, she continued her struggle for democracy and managed to draw huge crowds in political gatherings.

However, she lost her life in another public meeting at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007.

PPP will stage a public meeting in Hyderabad today in which Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will address the crowd.

Former president and retired COAS Pervez Musharraf directly accused PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari of being complicit in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, reasoning he had “the most to gain from [it]”, in a bombshell statement posted recently to his party’s social media page.

“Asif Ali Zardari is responsible for the Bhutto family’s demise. He was involved in the deaths of Benazir and Murtaza Bhutto,” Musharraf said in a video posted to his official Facebook page.

The retired general said he was speaking out because he “could not tolerate” the fact that Zardari had recently directly accused him of being responsible for the murder.

Saying that he wanted to directly address the three Bhutto-Zardari children, the Bhutto family and the people of Sindh, Musharraf argued: “Every time there is a murder, the first thing that needs to be seen is who has the most to gain from the death. In this case, I had everything to lose as I was in power and the murder put my government in a difficult situation,” he said.

“There was just one person who had everything to gain from Benazir’s assassination, and that was Asif Ali Zardari,” he continued, proceeding into what he termed as his ‘analysis’ of the case.

“Zardari was in power for five years: why did he not look into the case? Why was the investigation not active? [That is] because he was involved in Benazir’s murder.”

Going further, Musharraf said: “The evidence is clear that Baitullah Mehsud and his people were involved in the murder; but who had asked them to target Benazir Bhutto? It could not have been me — the group hated me, and the feeling was mutual.”

“It is a known fact that I wanted Mehsud dead — so did the Government of Pakistan — after his group had attempted to kill me,” Musharraf revealed.

“Zardari, on the other hand, had a great relationship with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai — a link he could have used to influence Mehsud and his people,” he said.

“The charge they are levying against me is that I did not provide Benazir adequate security — [but that is] something I was not responsible for. The only question I have is, who took the decision to create a hatch in the roof of a bullet and bomb proof car?”

“The other thing is, Benazir had a heavy security detail. She had already addressed the public gathering and gotten into the car unharmed, before someone called her incessantly and got her to wave to the people out of the hatch. Her phone was not found for over two years after the assassination attempt,” he alleged.

“We have to look at the circumstances and assess the situation. The next question is, who was in the car with her when Benazir died? Naheed Khan, her [Naheed’s] husband, Makhdoom Amin Faheem and Khalid Shehenshah — Zardari’s old jail buddy — were all in the car, but the court never even summoned these people to record their statements during the proceedings” he complained.

“Shehenshah was made the close-in security in-charge for Benazir. My question is why? What experience did he have in the field? What is even more suspicious is that he was also murdered under mysterious circumstances soon after Benazir’s death,” Musharraf said.

“What is even more strange is that the man who murdered Shehenshah was also killed. Who is capable of all this, one should ask. The answer is Asif Ali Zardari,” he said, adding that all these questions raise suspicions regarding the case.

Zardari had challenged the ATC’s Aug 31 verdict on September 18 to seek the death penalty for Musharraf and two senior police officers who were sentenced by the ATC to 17 years in prison in connection with Bhutto’s murder.

According to the appeal, “retired General Pervez Musharraf, Saud Aziz and Khurram Shehzad cannot escape the gallows”.

It cites the testimony of US lobbyist Mark Siegel who said that Gen Musharraf did not want Benazir to return to the country before the 2008 general elections and had threatened her with dire consequences.

“Even Saud Aziz and Khurram Shehzad were privy to the conspiracy to eliminate Benazir Bhutto,” the appeal alleged.

The ATC judge, the appeal maintained, ignored strong evidence against the accused and wrongly gave them the benefit of doubt.